The parents of Rachel Corrie, the US activist killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003, have paid tribute to those who attempted to break Israel’s naval blockade on a ship named after their daughter.

Activists, including several from Ireland, who last month set sail for Gaza onboard the aid-laden MV Rachel Corrie , were today returning to their home countries after Israeli forces intercepted the vessel on Saturday and towed it to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Those onboard the Irish-owned ship had earlier rejected a proposal to discharge the cargo at Ashdod, and insisted they would continue on to Gaza. Days before, an Israeli commando raid on an aid flotilla sailing ahead of the vessel had resulted in the deaths of nine activists.

Cindy Corrie said those on board the MV Rachel Corrie were “courageous” in their determination to continue their journey. “They hold such a warm place in my heart because I have seen the work that they do, I know how important it is, and what amazing individuals they are. I feel so connected to their efforts,” she told The Irish Times .

“I applaud them for not agreeing to turn the boat into Ashdod port, because clearly the intention of their efforts is not just to bring humanitarian aid – while that aid is tremendously important – but also to challenge this ongoing, illegal siege of Gaza.”

It was “humbling” that the vessel bore her daughter’s name, Mrs Corrie said. “I know it would be humbling for Rachel too. She wanted more than anything to bring attention to what she was seeing. She went to Gaza to be a witness.”

Ms Corrie was 23 when she was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer as she and other protesters were trying to stop the demolition of Palestinian homes. Her writings – published posthumously – and a play about her life have made her a rallying figure for pro-Palestinian activists.

“I think Rachel would feel that if her name helps, if her story helps to continue to bring attention to what is happening, to continue to encourage people to take action right now to improve things for people in Gaza, she would be supportive of that,” added Mrs Corrie.

The Corrie family now run the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice in their hometown of Olympia, Washington.

Mr Corrie said their thoughts were with the families of those killed during the attack on the flotilla last Monday. “Our hearts go out to them. We have some understanding of what they are going through in these days and the days that will follow.” The couple, who visited Gaza twice last year, said they hoped the renewed international focus as a result of the events of the past week would bring further pressure on Israel to lift its blockade. “I feel very strongly that this is a watershed,” said Mrs Corrie.

“I think the world has awakened this week in a way that is different to before. I think now it is up to all of us to ensure that there is a very determined and continuing effort to keep attention on what is happening, and to end this terrible siege of Gaza.”

June 4, 2010

In the past four days, details about the attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla have emerged.

We now know that 9 civilians were killed in the attack – 8 Turkish nationals and 1 American citizen of Turkish descent. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed. From the depths of our own experience, we feel the pain you are in.

In a response to the incident, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) called for “a prompt, impartial, credible and transparent investigation conforming to international standards.”

We are dismayed that, largely due to US influence, the call was not for an independent investigation. With the cases of our daughter Rachel Corrie, crushed by an IDF Caterpillar bulldozer in the Gaza Strip in 2003, and US citizens Brian Avery and Tristan Anderson, both severely injured by the IDF in the West Bank in 2003 and 2009, respectively, Israel clearly demonstrated a failure to investigate itself adequately.

Additionally, the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, in whichthe Israeli military exonerated itself of any wrongdoing, appears to confirm our own experience.

We call on the United Nations Security Council, and particularly on the United States Government, to demand a credible, transparent, thorough independent investigation into the attack on the flotilla.

At this time, a ship named the MV Rachel Corrie, which departed from Ireland, is on its way to Gaza. It was supposed to sail with the rest of the flotilla but was delayed due to mechanical difficulties. There are 12 people are on board, including the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mairead Maguire and former UN Assistant Secretary-General Dennis Halliday. We call on the United States Government and the governments of the world to insist that Israel not block the safe passage of the ship in reaching Gaza, nor take any actions that may result in the harm of the civilians onboard.

We are also dismayed that the United States Government has not joined the other permanent members of the UNSC in calling for an end to the blockade of Gaza. We call on our government to stand up against the immoral and illegal siege.

Until the blockade, siege and the occupation have ended, and people are permitted to live in freedom and with dignity, we fear there will be more needless deaths, of Palestinians and Israelis alike, and internationals who stand in solidarity with those working towards an end to the occupation and peace with justice.

Cindy & Craig Corrie

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On June 2, 2010, students at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, made history by passing two resolutions supporting human rights, upholding international law, and promoting a just peace in the Palestine/Israel conflict.

1. The first resolution calls for The Evergreen State College Foundation to divest from companies that profit from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine, as part of instituting a socially responsible investment policy.

2. The second resolution calls on the College to ban the use of Caterpillar, Inc. equipment from campus.

While other US colleges have passed similar divestment resolutions, these are the first of such resolutions passed by direct vote by an entire student body. Additionally, the student government unanimously passed its own resolution strongly supportive of the measures.

Divestment has been a popular tool employed at college campuses nationwide to protest South African apartheid and other human rights abuses around the world. It was only natural that divestment would be used to work toward an end to the oldest existing military occupation, Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine—and to target the corporations that profit from the illegal occupation.

The second resolution targets the Caterpillar Corporation, which is responsible for knowingly selling equipment for war crimes and military use against a civilian population, despite calls to cease sales by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other human rights organizations. Israeli military officials have acknowledged that Caterpillar is a “key weapon” in its continuing occupation of Palestine. Activists worldwide have waged a campaign for several years to hold Caterpillar accountable.

Evergreen senior Rachel Corrie was killed in 2003 by a weaponized Caterpillar bulldozer as she attempted to prevent the demolition of a civilian Palestinian home in the Gaza Strip. Israel continues to claim that Corrie was not run over by the armored bulldozer, contradicting every eyewitness testimony.

The resolutions have received broad support outside of the campus, including an endorsement by Jewish Voice for Peace. Organizers also received a touching letter of support by students in the Gaza Strip, who wrote, “We strongly believe that through steadfast campaigns and grassroots efforts, those dissident voices—people of conscience and bravery—will be victorious.” (Letter available at tescdivest.org)

The resolutions passed overwhelmingly, with 79.5% of participating students voting for the divestment resolution and 71.8% voting for the Caterpillar resolution. This election marked the largest student voter turnout since the creation of Evergreen’s student union.

“In passing these resolutions, students at Evergreen are sending a clear message to the administration that we want a socially responsible investment policy with an unwavering commitment to human rights,” said student organizer Noor Salah.

The resolutions were inspired by similar initiatives by students at UC Berkeley, Hampshire College, and University of Michigan–Dearborn, and following a letter of encouragement from Desmond Tutu. These steps are part of a greater international movement that seeks to find nonviolent solutions to ending the Palestine/Israel conflict.

For more information, and for the complete text of the resolutions, please visit www.tescdivest.org.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Israel Murders at Least 4 Unarmed Civilians on Aid Flotilla to Gaza, Dozens Injured

(Cyprus, June 1, 2010, 6:30AM local) Under darkness of night, Israeli commandos from at least 14 warships and military helicopters boarded the Turkish passenger ship, Mavi Marmara, and began shooting. According to live video from the ship, at least two civilians have been murdered, and dozens injured. Israeli television is reporting 16 civilians killed.

The Mavi Marmara was part of a 6-ship unarmed flotilla, including a U.S.-flagged vessel, carrying 700 passengers from 40 different countries and 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza.

The last GPS signal from the flotilla, sent just prior to the attack, placed the ships at latitude:32.64113, longitude:33.56727 – approximately 65 miles off the coast of Netanya, well in international waters.

Palestinian fishermen are regularly fired upon off the coast of Gaza, but these are the first Israeli murders of internationals at sea. In recent years, the Israeli military has adopted increasingly vicious policies toward international human rights workers in Palestine, murdering Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurdall in 2003.

The names of the dead are not yet known. The flotilla passengers included retired US diplomats Amb. Edward Peck and Col. Ann Wright as well as humanitarian aid and human rights workers, several Members of Parliament from Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Malaysia, and Palestinian Members of the Knesset.

Numbers for Israeli officials:

• Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office: +972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264
• Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence: +972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
• Major Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy: + 972 5 781 86248
• The Israeli Ministry of Defense, Fax: 972-3-697-6717
• The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax: 972-2- 5303367
• Click here for a list of Israeli embassies in other countries

Organize a demonstration at an Israeli embassy
Register your demonstration or find a planned action in your area at the Gaza Freedom March

Numbers for United States officials:

• White House: 1.202.456.1111
• Department of State: 1.202.647.4000

Call or send a letter to your Congressional representative with this sample letter:

Dear YOUR REPRESENTATIVE,

In one of the most outrageous attacks on civilized people, the Israeli military killed at least three people and injured at least 30 more in an unprovoked assault on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in international waters. The ships presented no threat as they were filled with diplomats, academics, journalists and human rights workers hoping to bring humanitarian goods to the besieged Gaza Strip.

I call on you to hold Israel accountable for their despicable actions and to immediately dispel your Israeli ambassador until a thorough investigation can be undertaken by a credible third party.

Rachel Corrie Street sign in Ramallah, dedicated on March 16, 2010. (Photo: RCF)

The parents of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed by an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer in Gaza, took part in a ceremony in Ramallah on Tuesday, where a street is being named after Rachel.

The ceremony was attended by Palestinian anti-fence protesters as well as members of the International Solidarity Movement, the organization to which Rachel Corrie belonged.

Later on Tuesday, Rachel Corrie’s parents were in Haifa to watch a biographical play about their daughter on the seventh anniversary of her death.

The parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, could not conceal their emotions as Lana Zreik took the stage at the Al-Midan Theater in Haifa to portray their late daughter in the one-woman play “My Name Is Rachel Corrie.”

The Corries were joined by dozens of others taking in the performance that tells the story of the young American woman who chose to disengage from her quiet life in the town of Olympia, Washington and travel to the southern Gaza Strip as a human rights activist.

Corrie died on March 16, 2003 after she was trampled by an IDF bulldozer. Her family is in Israel to sue the state and the IDF over her death.

The play, which is based on Rachel’s diary entries and e-mails she wrote since she was 10 years old, was first staged in London in 2005.

The director of the play, Riad Masarwa, saw the London production and afterward contacted the rights holders, edited the script, and staged an Arab-language version of the play in 2007.

“This is a personal story and a tragedy of a young girl who presented a challenge before each and every one of us,” the director said yesterday. “Particularly among the Palestinian people and the Arab world.”

Cindy Corrie, who noted that the play has already been staged in many countries, including the United States, said she found comfort in the fact that her daughter’s memory is being kept alive by means of words she herself wrote.

Craig and Cindy Corrie

Dear friends,

This month, a civil lawsuit in Israel in the case of our daughter Rachel Corrie will converge with the seven-year anniversary of her killing in Gaza. A human rights observer and activist, Rachel, 23, was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Force (IDF) Caterpillar D9R bulldozer as she tried nonviolently to offer protection for a Palestinian family whose home was threatened with demolition. This lawsuit is one piece of our family’s seven-year effort to pursue accountability for Rachel while, also, challenging the Occupation that claimed her life.

On this day, when Rachel’s presence is powerful for many of us, we’re asking all of our friends to support Rachel’s vision of freedom for Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip by participating in what we are calling the International Day of Conscience. Please join her struggle by calling the White House today.

I hope I can count on you to:

• Call the White House at 202-456-1111.
• Urge Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell to visit Gaza and demand that the United States break the blockade of Gaza by providing immediate humanitarian aid and building materials.
• Tell us about your call. Tracking your calls makes a difference.

You can also make the call tomorrow. Please forward this email to help spread the word.

Thank you,
Cindy Corrie

]]> http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/958/feed 0 http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/931 http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/931#comments Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:55:46 +0000 Dave http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/?p=931 Simone Bitton’s documentary film, “Rachel”, was screened in Tel Aviv on March 12. The director and the Corrie family were there to present the film. One of the attendees sent this summary:

The screening was well attended despite no posters or publicity at the theater itself that I saw. Simone introduced the film in Hebrew and noted that this was the first screening with Hebrew subtitles due to the efforts of both herself and the Tel Aviv Cinemateque. She said this screening was an effort to support the truth-seeking goals of the trial. The audience was moved and gave the Corries a standing ovation as they came onstage after the credits.

During the question and answer period, audience members asked the Corries what they hoped to gain from the trial, what support the US government has given them, and how they felt about Rachel going to work in a dangerous conflict zone. They answered, with their usual poise, that they sought a complete, thorough and transparent investigation into Rachel’s killing, as requested by US government officials, and that while they worried about Rachel going to work in a dangerous part of the world, they supported her seeking her own truth.



Cindy & Craig Corrie answer questions after a screening of Rachel in Tel Aviv. (March 12, 2010)

]]> http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/931/feed 0 http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/861 http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/861#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:17:18 +0000 Dave http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/?p=861 Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre is running My Name Is Rachel Corrie through March 20. Both the production and the staring actress, Mairi Phillips, are receiving excellent reviews.

Joyce McMillan writes in The Scotsman:

The up-close exuberance of these early scenes makes it all the more difficult to watch the disappointment and despair which begin to overtake Rachel in Gaza, and in the end tears are hard to avoid. But so, too, are the fierce questions Rachel was asking in her last days: about why we tolerate such terrible and unnecessary suffering in our world, every day, and what we are prepared to do about it.

And in The Guardian, Mark Fisher says:

Mairi Phillips’s exemplary performance brings to mind the recent research that suggests a link between political activism and happiness. Her youthful fervour is earnest but never foolish and she displays the ironic humour Americans are supposed to lack. Her expertly modulated performance goes from brazen to righteous to distressed, evoking Corrie’s spirit with tremendous honesty.

Tickets may be purchased online here.

Ros Phillips, who directed this production, talks about her perspective on Rachel’s story.


Mairi Phillips discusses playing Rachel.


Here are rehearsal and production photos.


]]> http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/861/feed 0 http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/852 http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/2010/03/852#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:17:08 +0000 Dave http://rachelcorriefoundation.org/?p=852 Channel 9 Online

A play currently running at The Allen Hall Theatre is receiving excellent reviews, and the cast can pat themselves, or to be more specific, herself on the back.

My Name is Rachel Corrie, is a portrait of a young American Peace Activist killed in the Gaza Strip seven years ago, and the play is performed by a single actress who speaks Corrie’s words.

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